Stephanie Mercado is a multi-disciplinary artist whose artwork is centered on labor, manual work, and empowerment. Her upbringing in a family of self-taught artisans has shaped her artistic practice. As a child, she spent time in her family’s upholstery business and in her mother’s fabric store, where she met various craft workers. Her imagery draws inspiration from her own life experiences and cultural references.

Mercado’s labor-intensive work pays homage to historical craft traditions and professions rooted in labor and love. Through her creative practice, which includes painting, printmaking, fabric sculpture, video, and design, Mercado celebrates the strong work ethic, craft, and tools that she’s been exposed to throughout her life. Her art serves as a tribute to manual labor and aims to empower and elevate the stories and experiences of workers.